Apparatus for continuous steel rolling and having movable roll stands



March 28, 1967 NORIYASU MOTOMATSU ETAL 3,310,971

APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS STEEL ROLLING AND HAVING MOVABLE ROLL STANDSFiled Dec. 2, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 NORIYASU MOTOMATSU TAMOTSU ICHIKAWAKATSUYOSHI TANAKA BYh/MM ATTORNEYS March 3, 9 NORIYASU MOTOMATSU ET3,310,971

APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS STEEL ROLLING AND HAVING MOVABLE ROLL STANDS 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 2, 1963 F/GZ INVENTORS WpmA/L NOR IYASUMOTOMATSU TAMOTSU ICHIKAWA KATSUYOSHI TANAKA ATTORNEYS United StatesPatent 3,310,971 APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS STEEL ROLLING AND HAVINGMOVABLE ROLL STANDS Noriyasu Motomatsu and Tarnotsn ichikawa,Kitakyushn,

Fukuoka, and Katsuyoshi Tanaka, Kasnya-gun, Fukuolra, Japan, assignorsto Yawata Iron & Steel (10., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, a corporation of JapanFiled Dec. 2, 1963, Ser. No. 327,429 Claims priority, application Japan,Dec. 7, 1962, 37/555153 3 Claims. (Cl. 7221) This invention relates toan apparatus for continuous rolling of steel materials, and moreparticularly to an apparatus for continuous rolling of shaped steel,large cross-sectional steel, and the like.

Although apparatus for continuous rolling of b and steel and bar steelhave hitherto been fully developed and actually utilized, the processand apparatus for continuous rolling of shaped steel, steel materialrelatively large in cross-sectional size, etc. have, to the best of ourknowledge, not yet come into actual use.

The reason for this fact is as follows: In the rolling of band steel andbar steel, the tension of the steel material between rolling stands canbe cont-rolled by making the material form a loop, or can be easilycontrolled electrically because, for example, the estimation of theworking diameter of the roll caliber for such steel material as barsteel is relatively easy. On the contrary, the tension control is verydifiicult in the rolling of shaped steel, large cross-section steel,etc, because the manner of transformation of the material in the spacebetween the rolls for such steel material is very complicated, becausethe formation of the above mentioned loop is impossible, and because ofother obstructive conditions. Thus, the continuous rolling in the lattercase is extremely hard so far as it depends on the conventional methodsfor tension control.

The present invention has obviated the above-mentioned difiicul-ty bythe provision of a process and apparatus for continuous steel rollingcharacterized in that a mechanical shifting mechanism is fitted to eachrolling stand (rolling mill) so that all or some of the rolling standscan automatically move in the direction of the rolling line according tothe tension of the material being rolled, and a detecting andcontrolling device is combined with each shifting mechanism toimmediately detect the movement of the corresponding rolling stand andcontrol the rolling speed of the rolls in the stand.

An object of this invention is to provide an industrial apparatus forcontinuous steel rolling employing novel automatic or manual controllingmeans instead of loop formation etc. particularly for economical rollingof various types of shaped steel including extremely thin shaped steel,large cross-section steel and the like, the continuous rolling of whichhas been impossible because of technical difiiculties in loop formationand other prior controlling means.

Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus forcontinuous rolling of shape-d steel in which easy and sure automatic ormanual control of the speed of the rolls in each rolling stand (rollingmill) can be freely performed, without the need of looping the material,by means of a mechanical shifting mechanism and a detecting andcontrolling device coupled with the mechanism, both being mounted oneach rolling stand.

A further object of this invention is to provide a mechanicalcontrolling mechanism that is mounted on each rolling stand and capableof controlling the tension of the material between the rolling stand onwhich the mechanism is mounted and the adjacent rolling stand, withoutlooping the material, by permitting the rolling stand to move in therolling line direction according to the tension of the material beingrolled.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention may be bestunderstood by reference to the following detailed description and theappended claims, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the operational principle of acontinuous rolling apparatus embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of an exemplary embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, theoperational principle of this invention will be explained.

Rolling stands designated as 1 are located in a row, and each stand 1can be moved by a light force in a direction parallel with thelongitudinal direction of the material (steel) 3. Namely, stand 1 issupported on rollers or other parts 5 which will permit it to shift onsupporting members 6 having smooth or sliding surfaces. When rolls 2 and4 are pressed by a force in the right-hand or letthand direction, stand1 can move right or left along the line of the path of the material 3.in FIG. 1, mate-rial 3 runs from left to right when rolled. As long asthe rolling speed of each roll is completely proper, each stand stays inits set position. However, in case this balance is lost due to somecause or other, material 3 is subjected, between stands 1, to a tensileor compressive force, caus ing stand movement.

For example, a tensile stress occurring in the material 3 betweenrolling stands H and n works to pull both stands toward each other. Inthis case, the rotating speed of rolls 2 and 4 of stand n is raised orthe rotating speed of the rolls of stand 11 is lowered to return stands11 and 11 to their original positions for normal rolling operation. Whena compressive stress caused in the material 3 between stands n, and nforces the stands to move away from each other, the reverse operationmay be performed to reposition the stands. Such is also the case withstands n and 11 Thus, according to the present invention, continuousrolling can be carried out with the material 3 completely freed from anytensile or compressive force; that is, in the same state as in ordinaryreciprocating rolling. Accordingly, the mill motors used in a continuousrolling apparatus embodying this invention need not have as highaccelerating and decelerating characteristics as required in priorcontinuous rolling operations.

The above rnentioned principle of the present invention will be moreparticularly explained hereinun'der in con nection with an illustrativeembodiment as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. in FIG. 2, the material advancesfrom left to right along the path line 3. When the material sent fromthe rfront-stage stand (not shown) is seized between the rolls 2 and 4of the stand shown in FIG. 2, a detecting device 14 immediately operatesto send a seizure signal to a locking means. In accordance with thesignal from the detecting device 14 including,- for example, aphotoelectric tube, the locking means operates to release the stand 1that has been locked in order to provide resistance to shock. I

The latches 10 fitted in the notches 9 provided in the supporting frames8 and 8' are removed as seen in FIG. 2. It is to be noted here that thedetecting device 14 may be mounted at any spot between the rear of therolls 2 and '4 and the front of the rolls of the next stand. The latches10 in the locking means serve to prevent the stand 1 from being shakenand moved by a shock caused by material being seized between the rolls 2and 4 at the time when the rolling is started. Therefore, the latches 10are removed at the same time the material is seized between the rolls,and return to their engaged position after being signaled by thedetecting device 14 immedi ately after the material has left the rolls.The latches 10 are released and reset by latch engaging apparatus 11through links 12. Namely, the signal from the detecting device 14 causesthe latch engaging apparatus 11 such as an electromagnetic type orcylinder type to actuate the links 12, which then move to release thelatches '10. Rollers 5 and 5 bear supporting frames 8 and 8, and,together with these frames, constitutes a shifting mechanism for thestand 1. Provided in stationary stands 7 are rolling or sliding devices6 and 6' to keep the supporting frames 8 and 8 parallel with the pathline 3. Since such is the construction of the illustrated rollingapparatus, it will be understood by reference to FIG. 1 that, when thematerial passing between the front-stage stand 12 and the middle-stagestand 71 which is here assumed to be the stand 1 in FIG. 2, or betweenthe present stand and the rear-stage stand 11 is subjected to a tensileor compressive force, the stand 1 moves either right or left parallelwith the path line 3 of the material. The movement of this stand isdetected by a stand-movement detecting device A connected, as shown inFIG. 1, to one of the rollers 5 and 5' rotatably mounted on thestationary stand 7; and according to the detected magnitude of movement,the roll speed of the stand 1 is controlled manually or automatically.For automatic control of the roll speed, the detecting signal is fed, asshown in FIG. 1, to a rollspeed controlling mechanism B, and further theamount of change in speed signaled by the mechanism B is transmitted toa roll driving motor M. Thus, the rotating speed of the rolls 2 and 4can be easily increased or decreased according to the direction ofmovement of the stand 1, and consequently, the stand 1 returns to itsstarting position. Moreover, in order that the stand may always bereturned to its starting position when there is no material between therolls 2 and 4, a signal is transmitted from the detecting device 14 whenthe material being rolled leaves the rolls in order to energize a relayto send a stand replacing order to a stand replacing dc vice 13.Therefore, in case the stand is still off the starting position when thematerial has just left the rolls, the above-mentioned relay causes thestand replacing device 13 to operate to return the stand to its startingposition. When the stand is returned to its starting position, the latchengaging apparatus 11 in the locking equipment works to fit the latchesit? into the notches 9 for locking the stand 1. Upon completion of theengagement of the latches into the notches 9, the stand replacing device13 is made disengaged. Thus, the stand 1 is ready to receive the nextmaterial. The above operation is repeated for further rolling. Besides,since the distance of the stand 1 can move is restricted by such factorsas the clearance between the stand 1 and the stationary stands 7carrying various mechanisms, the allowable inclination of the spindle ofthe main driving system, the stand replacing limit of the replacingdevice, etc., the stand 1 should be capable of being returned withinthis allow-able distance. In addition, this invention permits all orsome of the rolling mills located on a common polling line to move alongthe path line.

In the latter case, the movable rolling mills can be selected from amongall the mills in view of the configuration of the rolling apparatus andother conditions.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that, with a rollingprocess and apparatus embodying the present invention, continuousrolling of shaped steel or large crosssection steel or economicalrolling of extremely thin shaped steel can be easily performed, withoutneed of any loop 4 formation, being controlled automatically ormanually, if necessary. Furthermore, the accelerating and deceleratingcharacteristics of the mill motors used in a continuous rollingapparatus embodying the principle of this invention need not be so highas those required in conventional continuous rolling operations.

While certain specific embodiments of the present invention have beendisclosed by way of illustration, it is to be understood that variouschanges may be made in the constructions, combination and arrangement ofparts or elements as heretofore set forth in the specification and shownin the drawings without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A rolling apparatus comprising a rolling mill in a rolling mill linefor rolling material, means movably supporting said rolling mill forfree longitudinal movement along the mill line, the movement of saidrolling mill along the mill line being caused by the tensile orcompressive force produced in the material being rolled during operationof the rolling mill, driving means coupled to the rolls of said rollingmill, and detecting means coupled to said driving means and detectingthe distance which the rolling mill moves in response to the force inthe material being rolled and controlling the speed of the rolls in amanner for reducing the force in the material.

2. A rolling apparatus comprising a rolling mill in a rolling mill linefor rolling material, means for movably supporting the rolling mill forfree longitudinal movement along the mill, a detector means forreleasing signals which indicate whether the material being rolled isseized or freely movable in the rolling mill, a locking means forsecuring the rolling mill against free longitudinal movement when thesignals released by said detector means indicate that the material isfreely movable, and a releasing means for enabling the rolling mill tobe free for longitudinal movement when the signals released by thedetector means indicate that the material is seized by the rolling mill.

3. A rolling apparatus comprising a rolling mill in a rolling mill linefor rolling material, means mova-bly supporting said rolling mill forfree longitudinal movement along the mill line, the movement of saidrolling mill along the mill line being caused by the tensile orcompressive force produced in the material being rolled during operationof the rolling mill, driving means coupled to the rolls of said rollingmill, and detecting means coupled to said driving means and detectingthe distance which the rolling mill moves in response to the force inthe material being rolled and controlling the speed of the rolls in amanner for reducing the force in the material, a detector means forreleasing signals which indicate whether the material being rolled isseized or freely movable in the rolling mill, a locking means forsecuring the rolling mill against free longitudinal movement when thesignals released by said detector means indicate that the material isfreely movable, and a releasing means for enabling the rolling mill tobe free for longitudinal movement when signals released by the detectormeans indicate that the material is seized by the rolling mill.

Reierences Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1921 Jones72-487 4/1963 Rice 72l87

1. A ROLLING APPARATUS COMPRISING A ROLLING MILL IN A ROLLING MILL LINEFOR ROLLING MATERIAL, MEANS MOVABLY SUPPORTING SAID ROLLING MILL FORFREE LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT ALONG THE MILL LINE, THE MOVEMENT OF SAIDROLLING MILL ALONG THE MILL LINE BEING CAUSED BY THE TENSILE ORCOMPRESSIVE FORCE PRODUCED IN THE MATERIAL BEING ROLLED DURING OPERATIONOF THE ROLLING MILL, DRIVING MEANS COUPLED